Snapchat is embarking on a series of strategic initiatives this year aimed at fostering growth by unifying the user experience across Stories and Spotlight, improving ad interactions, increasing engagement, and expanding its user base in North America and Europe.
Spotlight’s Promising Results:
Launched over three years ago, the social network’s Spotlight feature has shown promising outcomes, witnessing a 175% annual increase in total viewing time and a 35% yearly growth in average monthly active users, Snapchat aims to leverage Spotlight’s classification mechanisms and recommendation engines to boost engagement within the Stories feature.
User Experience and Interface Integration:
Snapchat plans to begin by harmonizing the user interface and navigation between Spotlight and Stories, acknowledging the potential risks of altering core product features, the platform expressed concerns about the differing user experiences and navigations between the two features, aiming for a unified interface to eliminate user frustration.
Advertiser Incentives and Brand Safety:
Snapchat’s efforts to merge the Stories and Spotlight experiences also aim to provide optimal incentives for advertisers. Spotlight boasts 99% brand-safe content, offering advertisers a safe experience without the premium cost associated with avoiding harmful content on other platforms. Snapchat believes that maintaining high levels of brand safety in this unified experience will continue to distinguish it in the market.
Leveraging AI for Targeted Advertising:
The platform also plans to utilize insights from the usage of its AI chatbot, My AI, to deliver relevant and engaging ads to users, in May 2023, Snapchat announced new advertising products for both Stories and Spotlight, along with promotional linking features for My AI.
Focus on Android and iOS Development:
In recent years, Snapchat has focused on developing its Android app to penetrate emerging markets, the platform is now poised to further develop its iOS app to attract more engagement from monetizable regions like North America and Europe.
Conclusion:
Snapchat’s comprehensive strategy for the year aims to unify and enhance the user experience across its Stories and Spotlight features, improve advertiser interactions, and boost user engagement and growth, by focusing on brand safety, leveraging AI for targeted advertising, and developing its app for both Android and iOS platforms, Snapchat is positioning itself for significant growth in key markets.
